India: To procure Japan’s latest antenna “Unicorn”
・India to adopt Japan’s latest antenna for naval vessels
・Japan and India adopt joint declaration on deepening security
Summary from Yomiuri Shimbun.
Japan and India governments: 2+2 meeting
On August 20th, the Foreign and Defense Ministers’ Meeting (2+2) was held in India.
India will procure Japan’s communication antenna “Unicorn” for installation on naval vessels.
Japan and India have set out to deepen security cooperation, with China’s strengthening maritime expansion in mind.
This is the third 2+2 meeting:
Attended by Foreign Minister Kamikawa and Defense Minister Kihara on the Japanese side, and Foreign Minister Jaishankar and Defense Minister Singh on the Indian side
Japanese communication antenna: “Unicorn”
India is considering importing Japan’s communication antenna “Unicorn”.
1. It consolidates multiple antennas into one system, achieving compact size and high stealth.
2. Developed by Japan’s NEC, it has been installed on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Mogami-class destroyer.
Japanese defense equipment exports:
1. Japan will export finished products and equipment based on the three principles of defense equipment transfer.
2. The Unicorn communications antenna is the second example, following the air defense radar for the Philippines.
Japan-India Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation:
Japan and India issued a joint statement after the meeting.
The two countries will begin full-scale intergovernmental discussions on space and cyber cooperation and expanding joint training.
1. The Indian Navy will cooperate with Japan in maintaining its ships at its ports.
2. Japanese ships will have greater operational flexibility when deployed to the Middle East and Africa.
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20240820-OYT1T50178/
Japan, India advance co-operation：on robotics and naval technologies
ーFrom Janes Reportー
Japan and India ：
collaborating on unmanned and naval technologies to advance their defence partnership.
In a joint statement：
following meetings between the defence and foreign ministers of Japan and India on 20 August,
the two countries announced the completion of their joint research project on unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).
Progress has also been made to export Japan’s “Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN)
and related technologies” to India, the joint statement said.
The UNICORN system：
The UNICORN is an antenna mast that includes sensors and transponders
for communications, electronic warfare, and navigation, and will be installed on undisclosed Indian Navy vessels.
The joint statement did not provide more details about the joint UGV research project and export of UNICORNs.
UGV research:
According to the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD),
it has been collaborating with the Indian defence ministry since July 2018
to conduct research on “visual simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM)-based global navigation satellite (GNSS) augmentation technology” for UGVs.
ATLA and DRDO:
The research was conducted by the MoD’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA)
and India’s state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
In late March ATLA announced on X (formerly Twitter)
It had completed this research project in partnership with the DRDO’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR).
UNICORN by Japan’s NEC:
UNICORN, also known as NORA-50, is an integrated antenna system developed by Japan’s NEC Corporation.